Daily Digest - February 8, 2019

Feb. 08, 2019

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“Church-dividing issues become church-defining issues, and this should not define us.” — Dave Nuckols, a 2019 General Conference delegate who also served on the Way Forward Commission, on why he backs the One Church Plan.

NEWS AND FEATURES

Homosexuality debate “should not define us,” delegate says
MINNEAPOLIS (UMNS) — Dave Nuckols, a 2019 General Conference delegate who also served on the Commission on a Way Forward, backs the One Church Plan because he feels it strikes a compromise that would de-escalate the heightened tension surrounding the church’s debate on homosexuality. Nuckols spoke with UM News as part of “Seeing a Way Forward,” a video series featuring different perspectives of church leaders on the work of the Commission on a Way Forward.Watch videosWatch Seeing a Way Forward series

Church courts finds clergywoman not guilty
TOMS RIVER, N.J. (UMNS) — A church court found the Rev. Jisun Kwak, an Asian-American clergywoman who will be a General Conference delegate later this month, not guilty of all three charges she faced. Tom Kim and Heather Hahn report.Read story

Missionaries share joys of serving in Africa
JOHANNESBURG (UMNS) — More than 50 missionaries gathered recently to share the joys and challenges of serving in Africa. It was a time to talk about their experiences and learn from their counterparts who serve in different countries. Eveline Chikwanah has the story.Read story

PRESS RELEASES

Bennett College
Bennett College raises $8.2 million
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Bennett College, a historically black, United Methodist-affiliated women’s school, easily surpassed its $5 million goal in a recent fundraising campaign. The school announced it has raised $8.2 million. Bennett is at risk of losing accreditation because of longstanding financial issues, and officials hope the new funds will help the school avoid that fate.Read press release

Higher Education and MinistryScholarships available for seminary students NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Excellence in Clergy Leadership Scholarship program reduces debt for those seeking a master of divinity degree at a United Methodist seminary and planning to join the denomination’s clergy ranks. The United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry is accepting applications for 2019 scholarships through March 7.Read press release

RESOURCES

Commission on General ConferenceADCA available online in four languagesNASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Advance Daily Christian Advocate is available online in English, French, Kiswahili and Portuguese. The publication contains the agenda, rules, delegate listings, petitions, information for delegates and codes of conduct for the 2019 General Conference. Online version are free and bound printed volumes can be purchased from Cokesbury. Download online versionsBuy a bound volume

COMMENTARIES

United Methodist News Service includes in the Daily Digest various commentaries about the plans for the future of the church and other issues in the denomination. The commentaries reflect a variety of viewpoints and are the opinions of the writers, not the UMNS staff.

One Church Plan is ‘extraordinary legislation’KANSAS CITY (UMNS) — The United Methodist Church cannot go down the divisive legislative path of the past several decades, writes the Rev. Mark Holland. He argues the One Church Plan avoids that.Read commentary

What General Conference won’t changeDALLAS — The Rev. Craig Hill reflects on the upcoming special session of General Conference and asserts that it won’t alter the essential mission of the United Methodist seminary he serves as dean — Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology.Read commentary

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